Paris: Week Two, Day One

Paris FranceHistoric PreservationGreen Spaces

Jul 17

Sunday, July 2

Last night, I made adjustments to my sleeping arrangements. First, I place my suitcase on my bed and covered it with that hairy yellow blanket provided by the school. I’m not using that blanket anyway, so it can keep the suitcase germs off the bed. I decided to use that suitcase to prop my legs up when I sleep. I used to sleep like that in Japan when we slept on the floor on tatami mats. It was quite comfortable. That took some pressure off my knees, but then added pressure to my back. I took the large, flat pillow they gave me and placed it under my back and hips. This gave some much-needed cushioning for my achy body. Finally, I used that terrible neck pillow from the airplane to rest my head on. Instead of placing it around my neck, I lay the back of my head into the donut hole and just rest. It all feels much better. Now, I have to figure out how to address my neck pain. If it’s not one thing, it’s another! Maybe one day I’ll post a picture of this odd arrangement.

Today, I need to go out in search of a notebook, a mechanical pencil, and a folding fan. My fan was invaluable last year and before the end of the trip everyone in my group had one. I forgot to bring mine this year, so I’m on a mission. But, before I do that, I have a Toot Bus tour to go on. Yay! I wanted to do that last year but never got the chance.

During the tour, I recorded some video. It’s fairly boring. The tour guide was virtual and actually didn’t give a lot of historic or useful information. It was all rather comedic and often missed opportunities to share deeper history with people. I guess I didn’t expect it to be so shallow with its historicity. Since the online tour wasn’t great, I chose not to share it along with my own video.

Additionally, everything in Paris seems to be under construction! What a mess. The other groups from my school in the US are having similar experiences with things being inaccessible due to construction, repair, conservation, etc. I just remind myself that it’s important to restore these historic buildings over time. Better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to preservation.

Check out my video of the TootBus tour.